The Devil’s Den; There were not many stories about this place, but those that circulated in the World of Aurora failed to do justice to the beauty of this heavenly land.
The first time Aoun heard about this place was when Mel had mentioned it to him. She told him that it was the most beautiful place in the World, and one of the most dangerous as well. And right she was. Even its beauty was deadly. He already felt like making this place his forever home.
There was a perfe...
2020-07-01 12:42:33 +0000 UTC
View Post
The sun was resting under the cover of the clouds, and the wind whistled every so gently. The snow-covered valley of Auron was not as cold as the Desolate Desert, and there were flowers all over the place, sprouting from under the layers of snow.
Aoun and Elena were resting by the side of the tear-shaped lake. And Ray was busy eating the flowers that it deemed tasty.
“From now on, do not come out without permission.” Aoun seriously looked at the three little foxes. “There ...
2020-06-29 17:58:27 +0000 UTC
View Post
“Ella, stop!”
The situation changed right after she declared her interest in making pants for him. He was not willing to entertain the idea of wearing silver-colored pants, but after her assurance that she would turn it darker to a greyish shade, he reluctantly agreed.
What she formed were tapered pants with drawstrings, the design went well with the shirt, holding the semi-combat/semi-formal taste to it. But that was not the issue. The issue came when she insisted ...
2020-06-26 20:29:17 +0000 UTC
View Post
“You have no idea how much in trouble you are.”
Ella curiously turned to look at him and furrowed her brows.
“Why am I in trouble?”
Shazan did not reply to her and turned to look back.
A Blood Knight, with the face covered under the hood, approached them.
Without saying a word, the person stood right in front of him, looking at him from under the hood. She was Ann BloodFallen.<...
2020-06-25 21:04:28 +0000 UTC
View Post
Shazan felt a chill run up his spine when he saw the bright Star in the Beast’s eyes.
“How many Discs do you reckon it has?” Izna asked Shazan.
“All mature Spiders have 9 discs. The number does not rise even if they evolve into a Two-Star Spider or more, but the size of the Discs increases.” Ella answered, but she kept focusing on the two Spiders that the girls were fighting.
The Spider was three meters high, and its bladed feet were more than six ...
2020-06-24 19:43:01 +0000 UTC
View Post
His fascination rose the more he watched the process unfold before him. It was something even he would call magical.
Ella was not using her Aura to shape the liquid metal. She was using her fire to melt it. She melted seven Spears and formed them into one.
Shazan did not understand how she managed to melt the metal to thread-like thinness. She weaved the thread on the body of the spear, making it so that it’s length remained at Ilsa’s height, and its shaft was not ...
2020-06-23 14:45:59 +0000 UTC
View Post
“This is embarrassing.”
Shazan chuckled when he heard Gerald's words.
“Why?”
“Why you ask?” He grinned. “Your lovely little Maid got this strong in a week. Now you are the one who needs the protection.”
“The World seems far more mysterious than we could have ever imagined…” Amraaz commented and shook his head dejectedly.
The three of them sat in a corner as they let the girls handle things there.
Curre...
2020-06-22 11:19:49 +0000 UTC
View Post
“What’s taking him so long?” Ilsa impatiently complained.
It had been a while since the Knight went to inform Shazan, and he had not returned yet.
Keira lightly smiled at her and then turned her attention back to the murals that were all over the platform. A High-Guard by her side kept giving her the information on each piece of art.
Time passed, and when it passed the half-hour mark, Ilsa got more impatient. She stubbornly paced right and left, whisperi...
2020-06-20 08:15:29 +0000 UTC
View Post
Keira watched in amusement as Ella finished another bowl of Ice-Cream. The other girls were all sleeping, and so she had stayed up to keep her company.
“It is as if you had never before eaten anything in your life.” She commented with a light laugh.
“It’s true,” Ella nodded. “Aaleen lived for thousands of years, and without a body, she could not consume these things. Now, I do feel like I could eat forever. And everything tastes so delicious! Thank you!”
<...
2020-06-18 03:03:47 +0000 UTC
View Post
The lounge echoed with giggles of the girls as they observed Ilsa’s ever-changing emotions.
“She’s so cute…” Isha teasingly said near Keira’s ear.
Her voice was low, but Maira and Ilsa heard it.
“Shush… Our dear Ilsa is planning to murder her husband. Ler her be.” Keira admonished her.
“She doesn’t love him?”
“It’s complicated…” Keira sadly replied to Isha.
“Sad. He even writes letters to her w...
2020-06-15 03:49:44 +0000 UTC
View Post
“We have only faced Spiders, Scorpions, and Ants so far. Shazan says that there are more insect-like creatures, and so we are always on alert. What is terrifying is that the spawn rate is rising. At the start, we only faced a creature every few hours, and now, we face two to three creatures every hour.”
“Are the strong ones appearing more often now?” Ezio asked.
“That’s the troublesome part. We have no idea what is going to come out. Sometimes it's just the sma...
2020-06-10 15:34:17 +0000 UTC
View Post
Golden Palace, Arkaya.
Saturday, May 7th, 2022.
The last helicopter carrying the Queen of Aryans, Prince Vikranth, Princess Kashish, and Princess Aradhana departed the Palace. Other than a few Guards and the few special guests, everyone else was gone.
“The Golden Birds are on the move.” She registered in the Radio device, and without waiting for any reply, she turned it off. “What are the Orders?” She asked expectedly.
“Arianna wants you t...
2020-06-08 10:25:34 +0000 UTC
View Post
“It is an Ant?”
Vikaros confusedly asked.
Unlike the creatures they had faced before, this one seemed quite calm. It stood facing them and did not rush to attack, seemingly waiting for them to come at it.
Its two large antennas waved at them, and its black eyes with faint Star blinked several. The gigantic abdomen nearly dragged on the ground, and there was a sharp sting at the bottom. It stood taller than a normal person. The six legs seemed to be made of...
2020-05-21 12:03:13 +0000 UTC
View Post
The time was 5 am when all the High-Guards on the Platform with him received a piece of horrifying news.
Seven High-Guards and two Elders died inside the cave when a Spider with six discs came out with a new creature. They did not even get the time to pass the message to Shazan, and they engaged in the heated battle right away.
Shazan clenched his fists tightly, and his heart palpitated in anxiousness.
“I think we should disregard their arrangements now?” ...
2020-05-18 09:53:22 +0000 UTC
View Post
The sun had fallen, and the sky was littered with dark clouds. The night seemed to have a melancholic feel to it, and he stood outside the crater, overlooking the Arkaya with solemness.
He had not wanted to leave Ella alone with Aaleen, but he had to. He was helpless, and all he could do was trust in the world of the girl he had not known for long. As a man who had always relied on his instincts, he was confident that Aaleen would keep her promise. But he had, after all, left his...
2020-05-16 13:41:28 +0000 UTC
View Post
He stood there in silence for a long time. The words of the girl still echoed in his mind, and he failed to make sense of what was happening.
“Ella…” He called out her name.
She looked at him with the usual anticipation in her eyes, and that was enough for him to deduce that the girl before him was his Ella.
“You can read what’s written on it?” He asked, gesturing at where the name of Zihanay should be.
“Of course!” She answered him as i...
2020-05-12 12:05:57 +0000 UTC
View Post
He walked out of the Crater and looked at the horizon. The Sun was on its way to sink in the ocean, and the wind brought dark clouds from the east. It was going to be a long-dark-night.
In his mind appeared faces of the High-Guards that had assembled for the battle. The fear, excitement, eagerness, and solemness, each had a different look. They were all the best soldiers of the Aryan Empire, and they were present there without any idea of what awaited them.
Shazan rode the...
2020-05-08 13:10:48 +0000 UTC
View Post
“Where’s the Unit-S?”
Shazan grimly asked.
“They will be here in a few minutes, and other Elders should be here before them,” Amraaz answered as he dropped his Purple Cloak, revealing his middle-aged features with lustrous black hair. “I am not confident if we can deal with this thing.”
“Not by us, yes.” Shazan nodded to his words. “Fire!”
He called out to the second line, and they showered fire explosives on the Spider before them...
2020-05-07 06:24:07 +0000 UTC
View Post
“How are you two?”
Shazan left the group at the front and walked over to the two Charm Witches.
The two of them had pale faces, but they smiled and bowed to him when he inquired about heir well-being.
“We are fine, Lord Silverstein.” The Older woman who looked to be in her late thirties answered.
Shazan nodded to her and grabbed her hand without permission. He inspected the internal damage she had suffered by overexerting herself.
2020-05-06 07:35:49 +0000 UTC
View Post
What he witnessed left him enchanted. His mind did not register the tremors under his feet, the dancing inscriptions on the Wall before him were too mesmerizing.
It was not like he had expected. There was no Hall or Platform, the Wall just appeared before him, ending the long passage of nearly two kilometers.
Two distinct colors of Inscriptions were before him. One was bright gold, and the other was fiery red. And as the Golden inscriptions blinked, soo...
2020-05-01 07:17:26 +0000 UTC
View Post
“I will stay in the treasury.”
The man said and nodded to the group before taking his leave. Little Vikranth followed his father out of the lounge.
Shazan had tried his best to remain humble, but Vikaros still felt uncomfortable in his presence. They did not talk with each other other than a polite greeting. And for the duration of lunch, and this meeting, the atmosphere between the two of them remained tense.
Kashish, on the other hand, seemed to be...
2020-04-29 07:33:55 +0000 UTC
View Post
In his cage of red light, he slept soundly, relishing every moment of this aching tiredness in his body. It had been a while since he had last been this spent, and he was glad to feel the pain of being weak. Only when weak would a person strive harder for strength.
His reluctant eyes opened, and he carefully stretched his arms before sitting up. His eyes landed on the girl sleeping by his side, and his heart ached, seeing those dried tears at the corner of her eyes.
...
2020-04-26 04:57:59 +0000 UTC
View Post
Ella was not pleased to see him immersed in the book he was holding. The book had all his focus, and she grudgingly sat on the bed, pouting and throwing expectant glances at him. And when she had enough, she stood up and walked inside the dressing room.
Shazan looked up at her when she returned with a pair of pajamas for him. He could see the smile on her face, it was not bright, but she didn’t seem mad at him. Ella could never get mad at him.
He smiled at her and ...
2020-04-25 00:04:54 +0000 UTC
View Post
In a room made of glass and mirrors, a man and woman were sitting on a table facing each other. The woman was in her mid-thirties, and her disheveled, miserable look did not rouse any sympathy in the man’s eyes.
“You killed you’re a High-Guard, injured three of your friends, and broke into the Royal Treasury.” He listed her crimes to her. “What were you looking for in the Royal Treasury?”
The woman’s eyes brimmed with tears at the man’s words. Her hands, st...
2020-04-23 19:21:03 +0000 UTC
View Post
The Queen gave a few orders to the attendants in the court before taking him and Maira to the lounge behind the throne room.
It was not the first time he had seen the Golden Palace from inside, but the lavish architecture was enchanting as ever. There was a Golden Crest on the Throne that was of a Peacock. The sigil of House Aryan was a multi-colored Peacock, and these beautiful birds were all over the place.
“Shazan!”
Akash was shocked to see that i...
2020-04-22 02:29:04 +0000 UTC
View Post
The knight in her hand was his, and she was debating if she should put it away after she took it off the board. Her brows were furrowed in deep thought. She could not make sense of why he had made such a move. He had practically gifted her that knight.
Roselyn took a deep breath and put away the knight. She accepted the gift gladly, and then grinned at him as she found herself at an advantage.
Mina and Nina were sitting on either side of her. They were silently cheer...
2020-04-21 00:55:44 +0000 UTC
View Post
“You did the right thing,” Renesme said and smiled.
Shazan turned to look at her and pulled her in his embrace. He looked in her eyes, and the uneasiness in his heart drifted away.
“You have plans for Kaiya?” He smiled and asked.
The expressions Kaiya had been wearing were solemn and fearful. He knew Arianna was upset as he had promised on making Kaiya his official wife. A title that he had no power over. The title of the official wife could only be decided ...
2020-04-17 15:28:24 +0000 UTC
View Post
“Mother...”
Helen couldn’t hear her call. Her mind was haunted by the demons of the past.
Asaya’s heart further sank when Helen didn’t answer her. She grew up with Arianna. And she was clear that Arianna had done more than anyone else to make the family what it was today. Everything would have fallen apart if it was not for her.
She recalled the day Arianna had revealed her wish to have her be married to Shazan. But they both knew that it would have been u...
2020-04-15 18:04:41 +0000 UTC
View Post
Two shades departed the forest one after the other. One was bronze, and the other was violet. Karen’s aura was frantic as she pushed herself to the limits to drag the distance between her and her pursuer. She had no time to look behind her. A fraction loss of concentration could cost her the game.
She understood that Shazan was testing her. That was the reason why he had suppressed his realm of strength to that of hers. And there was no way she could let him down.
...
2020-04-10 09:32:55 +0000 UTC
View Post
“That… you and Arianna…”
Kaiya hesitated as she tried to ask what had been bothering her all this time.
He was lying against the great tree with Kaiya nestling against him. Her head was resting on his chest and she was hugging onto a snow-white rabbit in her arms.
“Me and Arianna?” He asked back curiously, pretending not to have understood her meaning.
Sure enough, Kaiya didn’t ask about it again. All the courage she had mustered up ...
2020-04-07 19:48:32 +0000 UTC
View Post